


Mirrored

by undercatt3000



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Attempted Murder, Blood, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Body Horror, Brutal Murder, Child Murder, Death Rituals, Drowning, Eye Trauma, F/M, Gore, Graphic Description, Graphic Description of Corpses, Heavy Angst, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Human Sacrifice, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Lobotomy, Major Character Injury, Major character death - Freeform, Medical Trauma, Mental Anguish, Mental Breakdown, Mental Institutions, Minor Character Death, Murder, Near Death Experiences, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possession, Possession AU, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Horror, Psychological Trauma, Rituals, Sacrifice, Self-Harm, Trauma, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-10-20 00:15:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17611790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undercatt3000/pseuds/undercatt3000
Summary: A menacing storm is looming over Camp Campbell as a dark presence from their past comes back to haunt them...Back and thirsty for blood, the angered spirit of Daniel is wanting revenge, and plans to do whatever it takes to finish what he started at Camp Campbell. And it seems as though David might be the key to what he needs...





	1. Prolouge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel was left with nothing but his own solitary mind and the true uncertainty of what awaited him. One thing that he knew for certain however was that he had ultimately failed in his mission for the second time, and the last. He knew that he would be punished for what he had done by what lied ahead. He couldn't help but to ponder to himself in his final moments, where had it all gone wrong? He'd done everything he'd been asked to do and never once strayed from the path of loyalty. So, what dragged him to the bottom of this pit of failure and despair?
> 
> And as he thought, one singular answer presented itself to him.
> 
>  
> 
> _David_

A streak of blinding light ripped through the sky, illuminating the slick grass and trees that rushed past him as he ran through the woods. The crash of thunder mixed with the pounding of the rain did nothing to silence the ramming of his heartbeat against his rib cage that furiously battled with his burning lungs which craved air. He gripped and pushed past trees, his eyes open wide for any sign of escape. Exhaustion made him wheeze with every strenuous breath he took. He tried his best to stay upright as he ran, but he continued to slip down hills and trip over the rocks and branches that obstructed his path.

Their distant shouts and fast treading seemed to be getting closer as his muscles grew tired and cold from the strong winds that pushed him side to side. The ruthless storm that surrounded him never seemed to end.

 _"I mustn't be too far now…”_ the man thought to himself.

He bared his teeth and furrowed his brows as a powerful gust of wind blew him back, nearly knocking him off of his feet. He latched onto a tree to keep his balance and rest for a brief moment. He even dared to look back.

Flickers of light weaved in and out between trees and dogs barked from a distance. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he turned and continued to run. If he hesitated, he might not make it out of these woods.

He spotted a clearing where the trees began to dissipate and willed his legs to move faster despite the burning they wrought on him. He heaved out small laughs in hope that he might have a chance after all. But his tracks were abruptly halted as he skidded to a stop, nearly falling off the edge of a large body of black water. Raindrops hit the inky surface rapidly. He glanced back as the glow of flashlights grew brighter and brighter by the second. He was trapped.

This was not going at all as Daniel had planned.

Daniel had sworn to himself that he would never set foot into this summer camp again since his plans had been destroyed. He suppose he had gotten a "taste of his own medicine" in a sense. Drinking poison kool-aid was not the most ideal way to end up in the back of an ambulance. He carried the heavy knowledge that he'd had failed in completing the one thing he'd devoted his entire life to.

He hadn't realized what he was doing. He had reached for his own poison and in the process had also revealed his true nature. Caught up in his own pride and arrogance he'd spoiled _everything_

And so they took him away. After he'd healed they took him and shut him away in what he would soon come to know as months living in what could be described as living, breathing hell.

He'd been tried in court, of course, for numerous accounts of murder, murderous intent, and many others that he'd long since forgotten. But he'd been found innocent on account of being criminally insane. So instead of being locked behind bars for the rest of his life he was fit into a straight jacket.

The psychiatric center he had been sent to nearly made him wish that the poison had killed him, as the poor housing conditions, lack of well-trained staff, and the people who were kept there were nearly enough to make him lose what was left of his mind. It was as if he'd been dunked into a shark tank as fresh bait and the poor creatures were starving. The times he had been assaulted, stolen from, beaten, and nights he'd spent awake out of fear had become too much for him to keep track of.

Daniel had seen his fair share of horrors during the time he'd been alive. He'd manipulated, murdered, massacred and all of the above. But of course, he'd only ever been the administer of suffering. It was during these months he had began to understand what it was like to be on the receiving end.

But despite all of this, there was an upside to the torment he endured.

With terrible staff came terrible security, so with meticulous forethought and a good mental map of the area it was surely inevitable that he would escape. And all of that lead to where he was now; escaping.

It was from the moment he drug himself out of that facility he had marked his destination; Camp Campbell.

He had a very set goal in mind as soon as he arrived and along with it involved the death of a certain perky, obstructing, and condescending camp counselor who was the very reason Daniel had failed in the first place.

And now, he had come for long deserved revenge. But even now it seemed as though luck was far from within his reach. He was running out of time.

Daniel simply had two choices; accept his fate and surrender, then be taken back to the hospital where he would most likely be secured separately in even worse conditions or take his chances and jump into the lake as a last resort to get away.

Neither option was favorable but he didn't have much choice. Either one meant death. Now, it was just a matter of deciding between the lesser of two evils.

Daniel's legs were trembling beneath him and droplets of gelid rain rolled down his exposed skin, fingers and toes numb. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment as he took in a shuddering breath. Trying his best to find a sliver of solace and faith, his warm breath spilled past his chapped lips as he opened his heavy eyes, meeting the tempting water in front of him.

"Stop! Don't move!" said the booming voice that cut through his thoughts. His head whipped back to meet bright lights and silhouetted figures before him. He brought a forearm to his face, squinting his eyes. A man with a flashlight took a cautious step towards Daniel, lowering the light and raising his hand.

"You can't keep running, Daniel. Come with us or we'll make you." the man said, his breath forming a cloud in the light of his torch. The were all wearing rain jackets with heavy boots covered in mud and their dogs periodically barked in alarm of Daniel's presence.

He recognized the figure in front of him, recalling seeing the man around the facility many times; he was one of the security guards. He was burly and tall with black hair that added to his intimidating nature. His stance was cautionary, as if he was anticipating for Daniel to make a move on him at any second... he could even see the outline of a pistol in his right pocket.

Daniel gave the man a glare, lowering his arm. The corners of his mouth pulled up into a sinister grin as he spoke above the pouring rain,

"A man dies ... only a few circles in the water prove that he was ever there. And even they quickly disappear. And when they're gone, he's forgotten, without a trace, as if he'd never even existed. And that's all..."

Confusion spread across the man's face before it was replaced with surprise as Daniel took a few steps backwards. The group moved towards him with speed but the edge of the lake fell out from underneath Daniel in a split second. The group called out to him as his body hit the icy waters below.

It was like slow-motion, feeling the air rush past him and watching the world turn upside down. Shocked faces and bright lights fell under the earth. For awhile he just stayed there, floating in the air with raised hair on his neck and arms from the feeling of dread that coursed through him. His veins ran cold as his mind raced. Moments of his life were recounted and he wondered if any of this had lead to something significant.

Everything accelerated as soon as he felt the chill hit his back

He was quickly engulfed like bait, all of the heat from his body escaping in one swift movement. His blue eyes shot open as his mouth gaped involuntarily trying to grasp onto any sort of breath, but was only met with the cold water pouring past his jaws and slipping into his lungs.

A fire lit inside his throat and burned him as he tried to scream. But nothing came out as his jaws moved desperately trying to form words. His entire body tensed like solid concrete and his skin crawled as his body continued to descend further into the lake. With Daniel suspended, he sunk into the black abyss below...

Daniel looked up and was able to catch a glance of small pockets of air floating gracefully towards the moonlight that faded further and further away. The frigid fire continued to scorch his lungs as his body grew colder and colder and the muffled sounds of people yelling at the edge of the lake became quieter.

Time slipped by everything became numb. He could no longer feel anything; not his arms, legs, the pain, the cold... nothing.

His vision became fuzzy and dark until he could no longer see anything.

Daniel closed his eyes.

He was left with nothing but his own solitary mind and the true uncertainty of what awaited him. One thing that he knew for certain however was that he had ultimately failed in his mission for the second time, and the last. He knew that he would be punished for what he had done by what lied ahead. He couldn't help but to ponder to himself in his final moments, where had it all gone wrong? He'd done everything he'd been asked to do and never once strayed from the path of loyalty. So, what dragged him to the bottom of this pit of failure and despair?

And as he thought, one singular answer presented itself to him.

_David_

It was all because of him. That man was the sole reason Daniel had ever dreamt of returning. Little did he know that it would only lead him straight to his demise.

Anger began to boil inside of him, and now there was a new fire that had been lit. A fire that he would use to bring upon the well-deserved revenge David and everyone in this damned camp had asked for.

Daniel could feel his strength returning. It wasn't any sort of human strength however, it was something else. Something much more dark... much more sinister. But he knew what it was the moment he felt it spreading from his chest and into the rest of his body. Daniel knew he'd been blessed with one final chance to make things right.

The opportunity would reveal itself to him when it was time, so for now, Daniel found a home in the dark, patiently waiting.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The incident invaded his thoughts as he stared. The idea of how someone drowned here was unreal to him, but the fact couldn't be denied. There was a person in this lake. Dead. It made his skin crawl just from the thought and confused him at the same time. There was never a body recovered, so what if there wasn't anyone down there?
> 
> It was naive to think so but it was the only conclusion that made sense in his head. Perhaps we was wrong and there was some other answer that he didn't know of. Either way there was no doubt that the damage had already been done.
> 
> There wasn't anything he could do to change what happened.

Many people have all sorts of pet peeves, things that annoy them, things make them mad, and all of the above. For Max?

David was all of the above.

David was especially one of these things on days when he had miraculously put together some wacky, pointless, exasperating "camp activity" for all of the kids to participate in. And as luck would have it, not only had Max had a rough night due to Neil deciding to stay up late to work some long-winded project he'd begun which neglected to let his fellow camper to rest, but their redheaded camp counselor was practically dragging him along with the rest of the group down to the docks. The place you go when you plan to exert every last ounce of your energy doing something pointless.

He was dragging his feet in the dirt as they walked, trying his best to keep his lead-heavy eyelids open. He was beginning to form a bit of a headache at this point which was not helping to improve his mood.

David looked back at Max and noticed his sour demeanor, to which Max scowled at him even harder.

"Oh come on Max, this is going to be lots of fun! I'm sure the lake activity will help to wake you up." David exclaimed in the slightly-too-buoyant tone of voice he always donned himself with.

Max threw his head back and let out an annoyed sigh. "Why couldn't we just have one day off? Just one?" He asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with the palms of his hands.

The soles of his feet were already beginning to hurt and his legs were sore. He wasn't sure how much more of this he was going to be able to handle without collapsing to the dirt or going on a murderous rampage. Either option sounded better than ambling along the rocky path to the lake and listening to David ramble on and on about the different things they came across despite having already explained these things in full detail many times before.

Gwen even seemed to be getting peeved by his ramblings and he knew well enough how she acted whenever her co-counselor got on her nerves. But it was amusing at times to see her fly off the handle. Max couldn't help but chuckle to himself thinking about all the instances when she'd hit him over the head with his own guitar. His girlish screams were one of the funniest sounds that Max had ever heard.

David turned his head to look down at the small camper that walked by his side, pulling a reassuring smile. "You'll have fun at the lake, don't worry! It's the first time in a long while we've been down there anyway. It'll be nice to get back into the waters!" He replied, setting his hands on his hips.

Max looked back up at him with a vexed expression, "You mean since we had that investigation?"

David's heartening grin turned into a frown. It had been about two months since they'd even spoken about the incident down at Lake Lilac. It happened near the beginning of summer, just before the kids were scheduled to return to camp. David wasn't too sure about who this happened to or why this happened, but they'd been investigated by the authorities after a man had escaped from one of the nearby mental institutions. The guy somehow made his way to the camp and then ended up jumping into the lake. From what they had explained, the poor guy didn't survive.

Of course, when Mr. Campbell had found out that the police were at the camp to do a search he was irate. However, David was able to calm him down and explain the situation. Which despite it soothing his worries for the time being, Mr. Campbell continued to be antsy around the authorities the entire time they were there. In fact, he refrained from ever showing his face and decided to let David talk to the investigators.

He hadn't received much of the detailed information about the scene, but from what he had gathered, whoever it was that had drowned had crossed a very long distance. The hospital he'd escaped from was approximately three miles away from Camp Campbell. It made him think to himself whether he was purposefully trying to reach the campsite for unknown reasons, or if he'd simply stumbled upon it.

He had decided to stick with the latter guess as he figured there wasn't any justifiable reason for anyone to travel three miles on foot just to come here, much less anyone from a mental hospital. It just didn't make sense.

When the police had finished their investigation they hadn't found a body. It was almost as if the man had disappeared into thin air, despite there being eyewitness accounts from the hospital security depicting them seeing the patient jump into the lake. Needless to say, Mr. Campbell was more than happy when they had packed up and left.

To be honest, it was the longest he could remember Mr. Campbell visiting in a while.

He furrowed his eyebrows trying to think of something to say to Max.

"That was a long time ago. We're gonna forget about that and enjoy today." he said, the bright smile returning to his face as he picked up the bounce in his step once again.

Max let out a groan, turning his head and pointing to Neil behind him, "I blame this on you." Of course, the science enthusiast began defending himself, initiating an argument between the two campers. David decided to leave well enough alone for now to avoid getting too involved and ruining their trip to the lake. He was sure the two could handle themselves.

He and Gwen (mostly himself) had been planning this for a while. After what happened the lake had essentially been abandoned. It was unfortunate to see, because the lake was a wonderful place to just relax and do something fun, but with the air filled with that bad memory, there was no way a trip was going to scheduled anytime soon.

David had an idea though. He figured that if they _did_ plan to go down there and just spend the day having fun, the incident would soon be forgotten and the lake would be an area for enjoyment once again.

He would be incredibly disappointed if something prevented them from getting to spend a day down by the docks. Besides, he'd been up nearly all night working on it and he didn't want it all to go to waste.

"I'm so excited for this, aren't you Gwen?" He asked his co-counselor. She gave him a look similar to the one Max had earlier and figured she wasn't the best person to ask that sort of question.

She took in a deep breath, "You know I don't want to go down there, David. Especially after the shit that happened. Tell me again why you thought this was a good idea?"

David opened his mouth to answer, but Gwen cut him off, "That was a rhetorical question."

He nodded and closed his mouth, deciding to just stick to his own thoughts for the time being.

It wasn't long until they approached docks and there were already clear signs that David was not joking in the slightest when he meant that he had many activities planned for the day. All around were signs held up by posts with brightly-coloured images depicting what each area was dedicated to; swimming, canoeing, capture the flag, and an assortment of much more.

Max's heart immediately sank to the ground as he looked around. He knew that he was going to be crashing early tonight whether he liked it or not.

All of the other campers seemed excited about what they saw and were running around to check out what had been built. Even Neil had separated from his and Max's conversation to examine what looked like a booth donned with information about what lived in Lake Lilac. Max rolled his eyes.

Eventually David was able to wrangle the kids together in a group so he could start going over instructions. He held a large green binder in his hands that contained papers among papers of different instructions and procedures. Max didn't doubt that David had put that thing together last night.

"Alright kiddos, listen up. I'm sure you're all ready to get going but we've got to go over a few things first." He said, to which everyone groaned. David ignored their protests and flipped through pages reciting the rules, Gwen standing by his side zoning out.

While David spoke, Max looked out towards the waters and couldn't help but feel a chill run up his spine. The surface looked different than he remembered... darker. And it seemed unsettled as well. He chalked it up to the weather, but even then the feeling wouldn't subside. He wondered if anyone else got the same impression he did, but then remembered the type of people that surrounded him. They were too wrapped up in the moment to notice the smaller details... at least Max wasn't that thick-headed.

David finished talking and instructed everyone to prepare for each course. 

Gwen stayed with the kids, helping them put on sunscreen. The night before had been very chilly, so David decided to test out the waters to make sure it wasnt too cold before they all went diving in. He let Gwen know where he was going and set off towards the wooden platform that was affixed above the lake.

The wood creaked underneath his bare feet with each step he took.

He lowered himself onto the edge of the pier and gazed over the dark blue ripples below him.

The incident invaded his thoughts as he stared. The idea of how someone drowned here was unreal to him, but the fact couldn't be denied. There was a person in this lake. Dead. It made his skin crawl just from the thought and confused him at the same time. There was never a body recovered, so what if there wasn't anyone down there?

It was naive to think so but it was the only conclusion that made sense in his head. Perhaps we was wrong and there was some other answer that he didn't know of. Either way there was no doubt that the damage had already been done.

There wasn't anything he could do to change what happened.

David exhaled deeply, trying to occupy his mind with something else. Today was a day for fun and his whole goal was to erase the idea that something awful had happened here. 

His long legs dangled over the edge of the board, but didn't quite reach the surface of the water below. Bracing himself, David moved closer to the edge and stuck his toes into the lake.

He retreated quickly from the shock of the cold, though he hesitantly reached it back down to linger. The temperature became much more bearable the longer he stayed. David had expected it to be colder but was satisfied with it in the end, deciding it would be just fine to swim in.

“Alright, better go let them all know we're ready.” He said to himself.

He stood and was about to make his way back to the group, but before he got the chance something jet out of the water and wrapped its fingers tightly around his ankle. In a split second, he was tugged onto the surface of the dock with great force, his body crashing onto the wood with a loud thump.

He was immediately overcome with fear and shock, adrenaline shooting through his veins as his mind didn't have time to process what was happening. David was thrown into a fight-or-flight and his chance to escape was fleeting.

David dug his nails into the dock as he was pulled off the edge, his bare skin sustaining cuts and scratches from pieces of lumber that stuck out of the woodwork. The pull of his fingernails did nothing to keep him from falling and neither did his desperate efforts to hold onto _something._

His fingers slipped off the board.

A brief cry escaped David's throat before he was submerged.  
____________________________________________________________________________

Max hadn't been paying much attention to what David was doing, not having much interest in whatever the man was up to. He too busy rubbing sunscreen that he'd borrowed from Neil on his arms. But as he was finishing up his thoughts were violently interrupted when he heard a loud thump and a shout come from the pier. His head whipped around and he searched for any sign of David, fearing that he may have fell in. Max didn't see his bright red hair or any figure sitting on the boards. His eyes did catch the rippling of water where David may have fallen though. Max's stomach twisted.

His eyebrows furrowed with concern and confusion as he took a few careful steps towards where David should have been.

"David?" He called out, hoping he'd get some response. But he didn't hear anything or see the counselor's head come back up from the water. Anxiety began gripping his throat.

He turned and ran over to Gwen who was busy helping Space Kid with his own spray-on sunscreen.

"Hey, Gwen." He said, shaking her elbow, still looking back over to the docks periodically.

Without looking over at him she replied in an irritated tone of voice, "What do you want, Max?"

Max glanced back over to see if David had come up yet, but still saw no signs of him. His heart began to beat faster.

"I think David fell into the water, Gwen."

Gwen rolled her eyes, "I don't have the time or patience for your pranks. Besides, even if he fell David can swim, he'll be fine."

Max felt his chest tighten with frustration. "I don't see him anywhere, Gwen! He would've come back up by now!"

That was when he finally had Gwen's full attention. She quickly turned to look over at the docks where she'd last seen David, a look of uneasiness on her face.

Gwen put the sunscreen in Max's hands. "Stay right here with Space Kid, I'll be right back." She said sternly before running off towards the pier.

His stomach felt like lead watching her run.

"What the hell is going on." He muttered to himself, holding the metal can in his hands so tight his knuckles were white.

____________________________________________________________________________

The moment his body was engulfed by the water his mind blanked, drowned out by the fear that clutched his chest much like the hand around his ankle.

The fingers that were wrapped around David's ankle felt deathly cold and he thought they could be burning him. His eyes were squeezed shut when he first fell in, but he opened them now, seeing nothing besides the darkness that surrounded him and the fading light above. David knew that was being drug towards his death

Using the strength he had, he tried to thrash his legs to loosen the hand's vice-like grip, but all that did was make its painful clutch tighten causing a surge of pain to shoot through him. He resisted screaming from the agony.

He finally looked down to see what in the world was dragging him, catching a deathly pale and thin hand curling its long fingers around his leg. The man came to the realization the what he saw was a human hand. A wave of panic washed over him and his heart beat fast and heavy against his stinging lungs.

David's chest was burning from holding his breath for so long and he knew he didn't have very much time before his strength ran out. He tried going against the pull of the hand and swim his way back up towards the surface. As he flailed his arms upwards he only continued to travel down.

He was scared. He'll, he was terrified. David didn't want to die. What would happen to Gwen and the kids if he disappeared? He felt like crying but the water stung his eyes too much for any tears to form.

Was he going to drown in this lake just like the man who had done so before him?

Would he never be found again?

It was at that moment when another realization struck him.

He looked back down at the hand around his ankle once more, but this time followed where it led. It was a difficult task to see in the dark, but he was able to trail down its bony arm and make out what seemed to be the silhouette of a person.

This revelation sent a chill up his spine as he dared to look at the figures face, discerning two blue glowing orbs looking straight at him through the blackness. Both of their gazes locked and David's heart skipped a beat. He recognized the face he was staring at.

No... it couldn't be.

His mouth opened to scream and David was too late before he realized what he'd done. Water rapidly invaded his mouth. He choked as it filled up his raw lungs.

His body convulsed as he tried to gasp for air and his eyes shut tight again, trying to rid himself of the overwhelming pain that seized him. David thrashed about, his hands grasping his throat in desperation with his mouth agape. His eyes shot open and darkness began to fill his vision. His head felt fuzzy as his chest roared with torment. He looked up towards the light, believing this would be the last time he'd see it's luminescence before he'd be consumed by darkness.

His jaw went slack and his body came to rest. His eyes were about to roll back when he caught a glimpse of someone jumping into the water. He couldn't make out who it was before his mind went blank. The last thing he felt was arms wrapping around his torso and the absence of the hand around his ankle as he was lifted through the water.  
____________________________________________________________________________

Gwen lurched out of the water gasping for air with her arms wrapped tightly around David as she desperately tried to hold him above the water. She swam back to shore with difficulty, keeping David's head up. She breathed heavily letting out grunts of frustration before dragging him up onto dry land, water dripping from the both of them

Everything moved fast and slow at the same time. The campers circled around David and Gwen, horrified by the scene in front of them. Many shouted if David was okay and asked what had happened, but Gwen ignored them as she looked for a signal that David was alive. She cursed underneath her breath.

When Max finally joined the other kids and saw his counselor lying on the ground he froze. Max felt like he couldn't breathe. His legs felt like stone and his chest was collapsing in on itself.

He looked down at David, his own shallow breaths echoing in his ears. He'd never seen anything more disturbing in his entire life; the man looked dead.

David's face was white as a sheet, his lips a light shade of purple and blue and his eyes were glossed over. The light that had shined through them was gone and the once vibrant green now looked dull and empty. The fact that Max saw no rise in David's chest made him want to throw up. His dark wet hair stuck to his forehead with droplets running down the side of his face.

He watched as Gwen rested her ear on David's chest, panic clear on her face as she shouted, "Fuck!".

She put her hands in the middle of his torso and started pushing. Max could hear Gwen softly counting each compression, her voice beginning to break. 

She saw that David wasn't coming to. She tilted his head back before pinching his nose and breathing hard into his mouth. His chest rose and his cheeks puffed out each time she breathed, but David still lied there like a slab of concrete. Gwen quickly resumed the chest compressions and shouted distressed, "Someone get the Quartermaster! Call 911! _Do something!_ " before resuming mouth-to-mouth. Everyone stood there unmoving, caught in the silent panic.

All it took was one last breath before David abruptly made a choking sound. Gwen turned him on his side as water gushed past his lips. David lied there gasping in breaths of air. He continued to pant and cough on the ground for a solid minute.

Gwen helped him sit up and she wrapped her arms around him. David began to cry into her shoulder, shaking violently and gripping her shirt like if he let go she'd disappear.

"Somebody get a blanket or something." Gwen said, rubbing David's back and trying to calm him down, speaking to him in a hushed tone.

He said nothing. Max took a few steps away before turning and walking over to the first station where everyone had left their bags. He started rummaging through Nikki's bright yellow bag for a towel. Normally Max would make fun of Nikki's bag because it would be overflowing with all sorts of miscellaneous items. Right now, Max was very grateful.

He pulled out a dark blue towel and bunched it up in his arms. Max walked quickly back over Gwen, handing her the towel. "Here." He said quietly.

Gwen took the towel, nodding her head in thanks before draping it over David's shoulders. She stood up, holding David's arms and lifting him up. His entire body shook as he stood. She kept an arm around him as they started to walk back to camp.

"C'mon kids, today's activity will have to wait for another day." She stated, a certain softness in her voice.

Everyone grabbed their bags and silently followed the two adults back to camp. They were told to stay in their tents until dinnertime as David and Gwen went back to their cabin.

Max joined Nikki and Neil in their shared tent. They all spent what felt like forever sitting in a heavy stillness, not a single word uttered between them.

Max's shoulders hurt and his head felt dense. The image of David lying dead on the ground plauged his thoughts. His mind swirled with what could've happened if no one noticed David was gone. He should have listened to what his gut told him earlier and maybe this wouldn't have happened. It was his fault, wasn't it?

Feeling sick to his stomach, Max crawled into his sleeping bag and tried to rest. Anything to silence the screaming thoughts in his head.  
____________________________________________________________________________

David and Gwen returned to their cabin, David sat down on the edge of his bed with eyes fixed to the floor, holding the blue towel around him tightly. He carried a hurt look on his tear-stained face. Colour had already returned to his face and he was feeling warmer, but his chest still had a frigid weight.

Gwen walked over to him and lifted the towel off his shoulders.

"Go take a shower. You need to get all that lake water off of you. I'll get you some clothes while you're in there." She said, folding the fabric in her arms.

"Okay..." He replied quietly before shakily standing and heading off to the bathroom. The hallway felt longer than it should be and darker than it usually was. 

A jolt of pain shot through his leg with each step he took. His ankle was sore from the grip on it earlier. He had rest his hand against the wall to keep his balance as he made his way to the bathroom.

Once he entered the room he shut the door behind him, leaned up against the wall for a moment and thought back on everything that had just happened. He felt uncomfortable in his own skin, just wanting to wash everything off.

David proceeded to take off his wet clothes and turned on the shower, water spraying against the wall of the tub. It was cold once he stepped in which didn't bother him much since his skin was already very cool. But the temperature slowly warmed up and so did he.

The water ran down his exposed skin as he stood underneath the showerhead with closed eyes.

Images flickered through his mind that he wished weren't there. The burning of his lungs had left his throat raw and a headache was forming.

And that face. He couldn't get it out of his head. It was like it had been burned into his retinas. Those piercing blue eyes staring straight into him and the feeling of its hand was still clutching onto his ankle. The pain was so fierce that he couldn't bear to put any weight on it, leaning against the wall to keep his balance.

But the more he thought about it the more pieces of the puzzle began to fit together;

It'd been Daniel.

It'd been Daniel who had escaped from the mental institution and traveled all that way just to get to Camp Campbell.

No. To get to David.

But he had ended up jumping into the lake and drowned as a result.

As insane as the idea was it was the only one that David could believe. One thing was nagging at him though, because from the investigators reports the man had died that night.

Was what he'd seen been Daniel's spirit? It was difficult to understand, but his experience confirmed those suspicions, if nothing else.

His heart sped up at the thought of Daniel set out to hurt him. Or worse, kill him.

David brought his trembling hands close to his chest to try and calm himself, breathing in deep and letting out a shaky sigh which ended up becoming a sob. His eyes filled with tears and warm droplets spilled over his cheeks. He tried to hush his cries so Gwen wouldn't hear.

He was startled by the sound of the bathroom door opening, but David was able to collect himself quickly remembering Gwen had said she was going to bring him some fresh clothes.

"Hey, it's just me. Your clothes are right here on the counter." Gwen said above the sound of the water.

"Okay. Thank you." He replied before the door shut once again.

David let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He rubbed the tears from his eyes and let the water pour over his face to try and ground himself.

He stayed in there a little while longer before the water turned cold once again. He turned the handle to the shower and stepped out, grabbing the fresh towel that was hanging on the towel rack beside him. Wrapping the fabric around him, he picked up his clothes.

She'd left him with one of the camp t-shirts and some of his checkered pajama pants. It was clear that she expected him to take the rest of the day off. He smiled over her thoughtfulness; a rare occasion.

Despite how much he wanted to apologize to the kids and start over, he knew there was no use in it. Gwen would force him back into the cabin and give him a stern lecture on why he needed to rest. He decided to skip that part.

After drying himself off and putting on the clothes he'd been brought, he exited the bathroom. He limped his way back to his bedroom, but before turning the handle David noticed a sticky-note that had been left on the front of his door. He took it down and held it in front of him to read.

 _"Hey David, I'm gonna watch over the kids for today. I'll come bring you dinner if you're hungry._  
_-Gwen"_

David grinned once again before folding the sticky note and placing it in his pocket. He went into his room, the door clicking as he softly shut it behind him.

He walked over to his bed and lied down on his side, resting his head on the softness below him. His eyes felt like lead and his muscles were sore. David's eyes fluttered closed as he fell into a deep sleep.

And then much like before, his body was overwhelmed by a sudden chill.


End file.
